Rachel Maddow on the incipient fascism of the Republican majority in Michigan's lege

The inflammatory language in the subject line is mine, not Maddow's.  

The link below leads to an article on the situation in Michigan and to a video clip of Rachel Maddow's 16-minute segment on the Republican abuse of the "immediate effect" clause in Michigan's state constitution.  

Maddow is concerned with the death of democracy at the local level and the attempt to deny the minority party voting rights in the legislature.   

The Republicans there have, among many other acts of legislative depravity, have empowered an appointed manager to take over the finances of *any* government entity and shut it down if the Gov. deems it is necessary to deal with the fiscal crisis.  Oddly enough, many of those entities serve African-American communities. 

The "immediate effect" clause in the Michigan constitution is there to deal with real live diasters, such as a flood or massive fires.  It takes a 2/3rd majority in both houses for such legislation to go through.  The Republicans do not have a 2/3rds majority in the house of representatives, but the Republican chair in the house has been gaveling through legislation on voice votes and the like as if they did have a 2/3rds majority.  And they have refused Democrats' request for roll call votes.  (The Democrats have been voting as a bloc against most of the Draconian legislation)

The Democrats are suing the state Republican Party and have obtained an injunction against the enforcement of many of the laws, but the Republicans are appealing to the state Supreme Court.  

To me the Republicans are not merely engaged in unfair partisan political warfare and destroying democracy at the local level.  It seems damn close refusing the rule of law altogether.  They are employing illegal procedures to impose laws that should not have immediate legal effect.  Their actions suggest they will also go to any length to resist undoing any of those laws, now or in the future.  They want to govern by fiat. Smells like fascist team spirit to me.  

R.  

http://www.politicususa.com/rachel-maddow-eviscerates-michigan-republicans-for-circumventing-democracy/ 

 

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